Arbitrators and Mediator Training and Jobs
Schools and Degrees
Since many civil disputes involve contracts, claims or challenges in the workplace, knowledge of workplace law and labor-management relations, and relevant labor laws is imperative. These legal professionals generally possess law degrees but they may also have degrees in business administration, human resources, labor relations or in specialty fields such as intellectual property law.
Training and Education
Education or job training for workers typically involves a bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience. At least 99% of employees had a degree of four or more years. About 1% of arbitrators and mediators had some college below a bachelor's degree.
Job Overview
Public interest and awareness of the fields of arbitration and litigation has spiked with the advent of such popular TV shows as "People's Court", "Judge Judy", "JAG" and the progenitor of them all, "Perry Mason". Since court litigation can be very expensive and public court calendars may be booked years out, many people and businesses are choosing to resolve their disputes through independent or third-party arbitrators or mediators. These legal professionals also provide advice to management and labor bodies on how to prevent disputes in the workplace before they start.
Job Requirements
Professionals in this field absolutely must be effective written and oral communicators. Not only should they be able convey their ideas to their clients, they must be able to identify the gist of an issue from oral arguments presented to them. To properly adjudicate a claim, these professionals should be able to identify the relative benefits versus costs of the several courses of actions that they suggest. One of the most important tasks of these professionals is to bring together people with disagreements and convince them to reconcile their differences via bargaining. Hence they have to be both knowledgable and persuasive.
Nature of Work
People who work in this field must first understand the disputed issue from the point of view of both of the parties. Then they have to try to explain the respective positions to both parties so that the parties can be guided towards a mutual agreement. While preparing the settlement agreements, they must take into account the various laws, policies, regulations, and precedents that are relevant.
More often than not, arbitrators or mediators work in clean and comfortable offices. The parties that have to resolve disputes usually come to their offices for discussions. However, in some situations, they may have to travel to locations agreed upon by the parties. Under normal circumstances, they do not work beyond usual working hours. They may, however, have to work lengthy hours when mediating a negotiation where a deadline is in place.
Area Job Conditions
The cities with the most workers per capita are Albany (New York), Fresno (California), and Lansing (Michigan), while the worst cities are Atlanta (Georgia), Seattle (Washington), and Nassau (New York).
The highest salaries for employees are in and around Wichita (Kansas), Oakland (California), and San Francisco (California). The lowest-paying areas are Orlando (Florida), Fresno (California), and Dallas (Texas).
Part-Time and Self Employment
An estimated 6% of arbitrators and mediators work part-time.
Career Videos
Arbitrators and Mediators by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)
In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.
Alabama
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $48,000 | 50 | +246% |
Arizona
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson | $57,000 | 30 | +201% |
California
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno | $62,000 | 70 | +653% |
| Los Angeles | $108,000 | 180 | +50% |
| Oakland | $96,000 | 60 | +103% |
| Sacramento | $78,000 | 100 | +290% |
| San Diego | $94,000 | 100 | +158% |
| San Francisco | $87,000 | 80 | +172% |
| San Jose | $50,000 | 40 | +51% |
| Santa Ana | $93,000 | 60 | +39% |
Colorado
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | $72,000 | 60 | +62% |
Connecticut
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | $76,000 | 60 | +255% |
District of Columbia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $138,000 | 310 | +329% |
Florida
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | $50,000 | 30 | +69% |
| Miami | $42,000 | 110 | +279% |
| Orlando | $47,000 | 40 | +33% |
Georgia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $49,000 | 80 | +17% |
Illinois
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $99,000 | 100 | -11% |
Indiana
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | $44,000 | 40 | +51% |
Iowa
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | $58,000 | 100 | +942% |
Maryland
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | $60,000 | 40 | +3% |
Michigan
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren | $64,000 | 60 | +88% |
Minnesota
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | $78,000 | 130 | +146% |
Missouri
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $48,000 | 40 | +33% |
| St Louis | $73,000 | 70 | +77% |
Nevada
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | $70,000 | 30 | +19% |
New York
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | $74,000 | 90 | +580% |
| Nassau | $58,000 | 120 | +219% |
| New York | $78,000 | 300 | +94% |
| Rochester | $64,000 | 40 | +169% |
Ohio
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | $83,000 | 30 | -1% |
| Columbus | $59,000 | 30 | +10% |
Oklahoma
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | $72,000 | 60 | +252% |
Oregon
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | $71,000 | 90 | +197% |
Pennsylvania
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | $60,000 | 100 | +76% |
Tennessee
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | $47,000 | 30 | +357% |
Texas
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | $45,000 | 40 | +72% |
| Houston | $74,000 | 70 | -11% |
| San Antonio | $43,000 | 60 | +132% |
Utah
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | $50,000 | 40 | +123% |
Washington
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $92,000 | 50 | +20% |
Wisconsin
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | $51,000 | 40 | +305% |
| Milwaukee | 40 | +63% |